LEGO ® Friends & Heartlake City (Winter Haven, Florida)

Attraction & Entertainment Solutions is proud to announce the arrival of LEGO Friends and the new Heartlake City @ LEGOLAND Florida. (June 2015)

Attraction & Entertainment Solutions Inc. (A&ES) is proud to partner with Merlin Entertainment Group LLC again in the development of the new Heartlake City at the world’s largest LEGOLAND® Florida interactive theme park.

The new Heartlake City expansion to LEGOLAND® Florida is a child-centric attraction consisting of related themed environments and larger-than-life LEGO® bricks and brick models designed around the interactive LEGO® play experience for children and families. LEGOLAND® Florida’s first Heartlake City is a modern new metropolis, and home to LEGO’s five most famous friends – Mia, Olivia, Andrea, Stephanie and Emma. The new Heartlake City features themed environments in a residential area, downtown and waterfront, and includes a shopping mall, candy store, ice cream parlour, horse stables, clubhouse, entertainment venues and more.

“We are proud the A&ES team was selected for the 2015 LEGO Friends and Heartlake City project and believed we were the right fit after successfully designing, engineering, building and installing a major themed environment for the LEGOLAND® Florida Hotel. Our success developing dynamic signature-themed products from conception to completion can be viewed throughout this nationally recognized hotel.” – John Oldham, A&ES President

This project included two Heartlake City Portals complete with authentic signage and LEGO Brick built animals for the attraction’s two public entrances. The two portals were fabricated using proprietary fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) with structural steel support. The two Heartlake City signs were constructed using aluminum composite material (ACM) substrate with applied vinyl.

The A&ES creative team was also commissioned to bring the Heartlake Streetscape to life with five new multi-media signs to direct visitors to the new Heartlake Shopping Mall, Candy Store and Ice Cream Parlour. The signs were built according to specifications using ACM substrate with applied vinyl. A&ES team showcased their unique creative skills in the creation of three large functional one-of-a-kind candy dispensers featured at the Heartlake City’s new Candy Store. Decorative planter boxes, palm trees and lanterns were also created to enhance the new storefronts.

The unique scope of work for the interactive Heartlake City News Room included the interior as well as the exterior along with the special construction of Stephanie’s convertible seen parked in her reserved parking space in front. A scrolling LED with headlines, Stephanie’s news desk and 3D backdrops are additional unique elements also created by A&ES Creative team.

“I’m especially proud of the creative team in their collaborative efforts to build Stephanie’s convertible from concept to completion. We were able to laser scan the actual toy to create a 3D model to work from in order to get every last detail right. At the same time, our team of builders worked tirelessly to incorporate additional structure and support into the convertible to maintain safety for the children who will surely test the durability of Stephanie’s Convertible in its new home.” – Tom Goldsworthy, A&ES Creative Director

The Heartlake City Stables are home to Mia’s Riding Camp and a big focus for this project. A&ES fabricated the 3D Hay Loft Entrance Portal, the large stable façade panels, flags and poles, and two 3D LEGO horses with sound effects. The unique Brick Build Table combines farmyard tools, stable equipment, vegetable cart, barrels and water trough adding depth to the theming for visitors.

LEGO® Friends Rescue Stage and Clubhouse were fabricated using mixed media including FRP, ACM, MDF and plywood. The Heartlake City Show Venue is comprised of a 27’ feet-tall x 40’ wide LEGO Themed Building Façade including a 15’ LEGO® Parapet Wall with functional LEGO® GRP Clock, two LEGO® FRP Metal Lamp Posts, and a 3D Friends Clubhouse sign and LEGO® Themed Backdrop. The Friends to the Rescue Stage was constructed with a multi-level stage using Metal Truss System and includes LEGO® Themed Backdrop.

A&ES’ innovations are much sought after around the world, as projects are precisely estimated, carefully executed and completed on budget and on time – every time.

Project Scope

Research and Analysis of Client Goals and Requirements

Development of Design in Concert with LEGO Brand Designers, Architects, Engineers and Contractor